Big Brothers Big Sisters to name citizen of the year

Kay CritesMidland Reporter-Telegram

Published 6:00 pm, Wednesday, January 14, 2009

By Kay Crites

MRT Correspondent

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Midland is encouraging residents to take part in a nationwide search for a America's Big Citizen of the Year. Big Brothers Big Sisters is introducing the award in recognition of National Mentoring Month, which is January.

America's Big Citizen of the Year will be nominated and selected by the public via the agency's Web site, www.bigbrothersbigsisters.org. Nominations are made in the form of a 50- to 100-word essay describing how a person's deeds and actions have made a positive impact on the lives of children. The winner will be the essay that receives the most on-line votes.

The Big Citizen of the Year Award recognizes that successful mentoring takes a movement of supportive people.

"America's Big Citizen of the Year will be a volunteer, fundraiser, community advocate, police officer, teacher, great neighbor, activist, artist, Big Brother or Big Sister - an incredible individual whose big acts of kindness, generosity, support and/or selflessness have made huge differences in the lives of vulnerable children," said Sandy Tisdale, executive director of BBBS of Midland.

Submissions will be posted on the Web site beginning mid-January. The winner will receive recognition at the BBBS' National Conference in Miami in June and celebrate the honor at a private Big Celebrity dinner with professional athletes and actors, philanthropists and business executives who are also members of BBBS.

A free workshop, "Five Keys to Proactive Living with Hearing Loss," is planned for 8:15 a.m. to 4 p.m. Jan. 30 at the West Texas Training Center, 3501 N. U.S. Highway 67 in San Angelo.

The workshop is for professionals and people with hearing loss, their families and friends. Continuing education credits are available.

Topics include the latest assistive technologies, ADA laws, creative communication and an overview of cochlear implants.